The Leader

It is a common but an interesting fact that any great person’s attributes are not diminished if one does not agree with him. The person’s actual personality remains unchanged. Therefore, religious, racial or personal ideas should not interfere with an assessment of a person’s greatness and strength of character.

Here are some interesting views that famous and respected non-Muslim thinkers and writers of the world had of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

George Bernard Shaw:

“I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today.”
(Sir George Bernard Shaw in ‘The Genuine Islam,’ Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936.)

Michael H. Hart in his book ranked Mohammed (pbuh) first in the list of those who contributed towards the benefit and uplift of mankind:

“My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.”
(M.H. Hart, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, New York, 1978, p. 33)

Lamartine, the renowned historian, speaking on the essentials of human greatness wonders:

“If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad?

“The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls....

“His forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest... to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was two-fold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.

“Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all the standards by which Human Greatness may be measured, we may well ask: Is there any man greater than he?”
(Alphonse de Lamartine, HistoireIde La Turquie, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp 276-277)

Diwan Chand Sharma wrote:

“Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him.” (The Prophets of the East, Kolkata, 1935, pp. 12)

Sarojini Naidu, the famous Indian poetess, says:

“It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: ‘God Alone is Great’... I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother”.
(Ideals of Islam, vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169)

In the words of Prof. Hurgronje:

“The league of nations founded by the prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity and human brotherhood on such universal foundations as to show a candle to other nations.”

“The fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of the League of Nations.”

Mahatma Gandhi speaking on the character of Muhammad (pbuh), in Young India, says:

“It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet’s biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life.”

Thomas Carlyle in his Heroes and Hero-worship, was simply amazed as to “How one man single-handedly could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades.”

“The lies (western slander) which well-meaning zeal has heaped round this man (Muhammad) are disgraceful to ourselves only.”

Encyclopaedia Britanica states:
“.... A mass of detail in the early sources show that he was an honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were like-wise honest and upright men.” (Vol. 12)



with regards,
Muskan

__________________
My ALLAH it is enough for my respect that I m "Your" person & it is enough for my pride that "You" are my GOD."You" are exactly the way I desire.Thus please mould me the way "You" desire.